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Conservation Group Warns Against Killing Namibian Desert Elephants

Last Updated: November 01, 2009 2:13 AM

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Conservation Group Warns Against Killing Namibian Desert Elephants

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An animal conservation group warns that Namibia's desert
elephants face a severe blow because the government has issued permits to kill
some breeding bulls. Permits to kill six of the bulls have been awarded for
trophy hunting. The government says the elephant herds can handle the loss.

Johannes Haasbroek is the operations director for
the group Elephant-Human Relations Aid. From Swakopmund, Namibia, he spoke to
VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about the permits to kill
the breeding bull elephants.

"Basically, it's not really a question of culling
(thinning the herds). The situation is that they've given out trophy hunting
permits for some of the large bulls in the area to be shot. And our main
concern is that the sustainable population of the area definitely cannot handle
an off-take like that in the slightest. And basically the decision has been
made with very limited records of what is exactly happening on the ground," he
says.

Haasbroek says the size of the desert elephant
population has been "grossly over inflated." He says, "We're sitting with a
situation where potentially the population could collapse."

The government has issued six trophy permits. But
Haasbroek says there are probably only about 20 bulls left in the hunting area.
"Five of those six have been shot already, in fact, in this season," he says.

Asked why the loss of six bulls would greatly
affect the desert elephant population, he says, "An effective breeding ratio is
probably one of these large bulls per 10 cows. We're looking at a current
situation where there's about one bull left now per 30 cows in the same area."

He also says with the loss of the bulls comes a
loss of knowledge. "Desert elephants are particularly special because of their
ability to survive in these very harsh climates…. And elephants with this sort
of intelligence…I wouldn't say very far off to humans, (their) knowledge needs
to be transferred from the older generation…. They (older animals) need to be
there to teach the rest of them where to go in times of drought, where to find
water, where to graze. And that's one of the key issues we're incredibly
worried about," he says.

Haasbroek says there are few options
available at this point. He's scheduled to meet with a government official on
Wednesday, at which time he'll call for a total ban on desert elephant hunting
and a thorough census to accurately determine the size of the animal's
population.